Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) has been called the “sleeping prophet,” the “father of holistic medicine,” and the most documented psychic of the 20th century. For more than 40 years of his adult life, Cayce gave psychic “readings” to thousands of seekers while in an unconscious state, diagnosing illnesses and revealing lives lived in the past and prophecies yet to come. But who, exactly, was Edgar Cayce?

Cayce was born on a farm in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1877, and his psychic abilities began to appear as early as his childhood. He was able to see and talk to his late grandfather’s spirit, and often played with “imaginary friends” whom he said were spirits on the other side. He also displayed an uncanny ability to memorize the pages of a book simply by sleeping on it. These gifts labeled the young Cayce as strange, but all Cayce really wanted was to help others, especially children.

Later in life, Cayce would find that he had the ability to put himself into a sleep-like state by lying down on a couch, closing his eyes, and folding his hands over his stomach. In this state of relaxation and meditation, he was able to place his mind in contact with all time and space — the universal consciousness, also known as the super-conscious mind. From there, he could respond to questions as broad as, “What are the secrets of the universe?” and “What is my purpose in life?” to as specific as, “What can I do to help my arthritis?” and “How were the pyramids of Egypt built? His responses to these questions came to be called “readings,” and their insights offer practical help and advice to individuals even today.

Many people are surprised to learn that Edgar Cayce was a devoted churchgoer and Sunday school teacher. At a young age, Cayce vowed to read the Bible for every year of his life, and at the time of his death in 1945, he had accomplished this task. Perhaps the readings said it best, when asked how to become psychic, Cayce’s advice was to become more spiritual.

Although Cayce died more than 60 years ago, the timeliness of the material in the readings — with subjects like how to discovering your mission in life, developing your intuition, exploring ancient mysteries, and taking responsibility for your health — is evidenced by the hundreds of books that have been written on the various aspects of this work as well as the dozen or so titles focusing on Cayce’s life itself. Together, these books contain information so valuable that even Edgar Cayce himself might have hesitated to predict their impact on the contemporary world. In 1945, the year of his passing, who could have known that terms such as “meditation,” “Akashic records,” “spiritual growth,” “auras,” “soul mates,” and “holistic health” would become household words to millions?

The majority of Edgar Cayce’s readings deal with holistic health and the treatment of illness. As it was at the time Cayce was giving readings, still today, individuals from all walks of life and belief receive physical relief from illnesses or ailments through information given in the readings — some readings were given as far back as 100 years ago! Yet, although best known for this material, the sleeping Cayce did not seem to be limited to concerns about the physical body. In fact, in their entirety, the readings discuss an astonishing 10,000 different topics. This vast array of subject matter can be narrowed down into a smaller group of topics that, when compiled together, deal with the following five categories: (1) Health-Related Information; (2) Philosophy and Reincarnation; (3) Dreams and Dream Interpretation; (4) ESP and Psychic Phenomena; and (5) Spiritual Growth, Meditation, and Prayer.

Edgar Cayce was an American who claimed to be a psychic. He had demonstrated an ability to channel answers to questions on subjects such as health or Atlantis, while in a self-induced trance. Though Cayce considered himself a devout Christian and lived before the emergence of the New Age Movement, some believe he was the founder of the movement and had influence on its teachings.

Cayce became a celebrity toward the end of his life and the publicity given to his prophecies has overshadowed what to him were usually considered the more important parts of his work, such as healing (the vast majority of his readings were given for people who were sick) and theology (Cayce was a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ). Skeptics challenge the statement that Cayce demonstrated psychic abilities, and traditional Christians also question his unorthodox answers on religious matters (such as reincarnation and Akashic records).

1877 to 1920—the Kentucky period

In December 1893, the Cayce family moved to Hopkinsville, Kentucky and occupied 705 West Seventh, on the south-east corner of Seventh and Young Street. During this time, Cayce received an eighth-grade education; discovered his spiritual vocation; left the family farm to pursue various forms of employment (at Richard’s Dry Goods Store and then in Hopper’s Bookstore, both located on Main Street).

Cayce’s education stopped with the ninth grade because his family could not afford the costs involved. A ninth-grade education was often considered more than sufficient for working-class children. Much of the remainder of Cayce’s younger years would be characterized by a search for both employment and money.

Throughout his life, Cayce was drawn to church as a member of the Disciples of Christ. He read the Bible once for every year of his life, taught at Sunday school, and recruited missionaries, and he is said to have agonized over the issue of whether his supposed psychic abilities—and the teachings which resulted—were spiritually legitimate.

In 1900, he formed a business partnership with his father to sell Woodmen of the WorldInsurance but was struck by severe laryngitis in March that resulted in a complete loss of speech. Unable to work, he lived at home with his parents for almost a year. He then decided to take up the trade of photography, an occupation that would exert less strain on his voice. He began an apprenticeship at the photography studio of W.R. Bowles in Hopkinsville.

A traveling stage hypnotist and entertainer called “Hart—The Laugh Man” was performing at the Hopkinsville Opera House in 1901. He heard about Cayce’s condition and offered to attempt a cure. Cayce accepted, and the experiment took place on stage in front of an audience. Remarkably, Cayce’s voice apparently returned while in a hypnotic trance but allegedly disappeared on awakening. Hart tried a posthypnotic suggestion that the voice would continue to function after the trance, but this proved unsuccessful.

Since Hart had appointments at other cities, he could not continue his hypnotic treatment of Cayce. However, a local hypnotist, Al Layne, offered to help Cayce in restoring his voice. Layne suggested that Cayce describe the nature of his condition and cure while in a hypnotic trance. Cayce described his own ailment from a first person plural point of view (“we”) instead of the singular (“I”). In subsequent readings he would generally start off with “We have the body.” According to the reading, his voice loss was due to psychological paralysis and could be corrected by increasing the blood flow to the voice box. Layne suggested that the blood flow be increased, and Cayce’s face supposedly became flushed with blood and his chest area and the throat turned bright red. After 20 minutes Cayce, still in trance, declared the treatment over. On awakening, his voice was alleged to have remained normal. Relapses were said to have occurred but were said to have been corrected by Layne in the same way, and eventually the cure was said to be permanent.

Layne had read of similar hypnotic cures effected by the Marquis de Puységur, a follower of Franz Mesmer, and was keen to explore the limits of the healing knowledge of the trance voice. He asked Cayce to describe Layne’s own ailments and suggest cures and reportedly found the results both accurate and effective. Layne suggested that Cayce offer his trance healing to the public, but Cayce was reluctant. He finally agreed on the condition that readings would be free. He began with Layne’s help to offer free treatments to the townspeople. As his success and fame spread, he became known as “The Miracle Worker of Virginia Beach.” Reports of Cayce’s work appeared in the newspapers, inspiring many postal inquiries. Cayce was able to work just as effectively using a letter from the individual as with having the person present. Given the person’s name and location, he said he could diagnose the physical and/or mental conditions and provide a remedy. He became popular and soon people from around the world sought his advice through correspondence.

Cayce’s work grew in volume as his fame grew. He asked for voluntary donations to support himself and his family so that he could practice full time. He continued to work in an apparent trance state with a hypnotist all his life. His wife and eldest son later replaced Layne in this role. A secretary, Gladys Davis, recorded his readings in shorthand.

1920 to 1923—the Texas period

The growing fame of Cayce coupled with the popularity he received from newspapers attracted several eager commercially minded men who wanted to seek a fortune by using Cayce’s clairvoyant abilities. Even though Cayce was reluctant to help them, he was persuaded to give the readings, which left him dissatisfied with himself and unsuccessful. A cotton merchant offered Cayce a hundred dollars a day for his readings about the daily outcomes in the cotton market. However, despite his poor finances, Cayce refused the merchant’s offer. Others wanted to know where to hunt for treasures; some wanted to know the outcome of horse races. Several times he was persuaded to give the readings as an experiment. However, he was not successful when he used his ability for such purposes, doing no better than chance alone would dictate. These experiments allegedly left him depleted of energy, distraught, and unsatisfied with himself. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he would use his gift only to help the distressed and sick.

He was persuaded to give readings on philosophical subjects in 1923 by Arthur Lammers, a wealthy printer who, by his own admission, had been “studying metaphysics for years”. While in his supposed trance state, Cayce was told by Lammers that he spoke of Lammer’s past lives and of reincarnation, something Lammers believed in, which was a popular subject of the day but not an accepted part of Christian doctrine. Cayce questioned his stenographer as to what he had said in his trance state and remained unconvinced. Cayce himself challenged Lammers’s charge that he had validated astrology and reincarnation in the following dialog:

Cayce “I said all that?…I couldn’t have said all that in one reading.” “No,” Lammers said; “but you confirmed it. You see, I have been studying metaphysics for years, and I was able by a few questions, by the facts you gave, to check what is right and what is wrong with a whole lot of the stuff I’ve been reading. The important thing is that the basic system which runs through all the mystery religions, whether they come from Tibet or the pyramids of Egypt, is backed up by you. It’s actually the right system.” Cayce’s stenographer recorded the following:

“In this we see the plan of development of those individuals set upon this plane, meaning the ability to enter again into the presence of the Creator and become a full part of that creation.

Insofar as this entity is concerned, this is the third appearance on this plane, and before this one, as the monk. We see glimpses in the life of the entity now as were shown in the monk, in this mode of living.

The body is only the vehicle ever of that spirit and soul that waft through all times and ever remain the same.”

Cayce was quite unconvinced (that he had been referring to and, as such, had validated the doctrine of reincarnation), and the best Lammers could offer was that the reading “opens up the door” and went on to share his beliefs and knowledge of the “truth” with Cayce. It appeared Cayce’s instincts were telling him this was no ordinary reading. This client who came for a reading came with quite a bit of information of his own to share with Cayce and seemed intent upon convincing Cayce, now that he felt the reading had confirmed his strongly held beliefs. It should be noted, however, that 12 years earlier Cayce had briefly alluded to reincarnation. In reading 4841-1, given April 22, 1911, Cayce referred to the soul being “transmigrated.” Because, as noted below, there are several thousand missing Cayce readings from the period up to 1923, it is possible that he may have also mentioned reincarnation in other readings as well.

Cayce reported that his conscience bothered him severely over this conflict. Lammers overwhelmed, manipulated, confused, reassured and argued with Cayce. Ultimately his “trance voice,” the “we” of the readings, also supposedly dialogued with Cayce and finally persuaded him to continue with these kinds of readings. In 1925 Cayce reported that his “voice” had instructed him to move to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

1925 to 1945—the Virginia Beach period

Cayce’s mature period, in which he created the several institutions which would survive him in some form, can be considered to have started in 1925. By this time he was a professional psychic with a small staff of employees and volunteers. The “readings” increasingly came to involve occult or esoteric themes.

Cayce gained national prominence in 1943 through a high-profile article in Coronet titled “Miracle Man of Virginia Beach”. He said he couldn’t refuse people who felt they needed his help, and he increased the frequency of his readings to eight per day to try to make an impression on the ever-growing pile of requests. He said this took a toll on his health as it was emotionally draining and often fatigued him. He even went so far as to say that the readings themselves scolded him for attempting too much and that he should limit his workload to just two readings a day or else they would kill him.

Edgar Cayce suffered from a stroke and died on January 3, 1945. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Claimed psychic abilities

Cayce’s methods involved lying down and entering into what appeared to be a trance or sleep state, usually at the request of a subject who was seeking help with health or other personal problems (subjects were not usually present). The subject’s questions would then be given to Cayce, and Cayce would proceed with a reading. At first these readings dealt primarily with the physical health of the individual (physical readings); later readings on past lives, business advice, dream interpretation, and mental or spiritual health were also given.

Until September 1923, they were not systematically preserved. However, an October 10, 1922, Birmingham (Alabama) Age-Herald article quotes Cayce as saying that he had given 8,056 readings as of that date, and it is known that he gave approximately 13,000-14,000 readings after that date. Today, only about 14,000 are available at Cayce headquarters and on-line. Thus, it appears that about 7,000-8,000 Cayce readings are missing.

When out of the trance he entered to perform a reading, Cayce said he generally did not remember what he had said during the reading. The unconscious mind, according to Cayce, has access to information which the conscious mind does not — a common assumption about hypnosis in Cayce’s time. After Gladys Davis became Cayce’s secretary on September 10, 1923, all readings were preserved and his wife Gertrude Evans Cayce generally conducted (guided) the readings.

Cayce said that his trance statements should be taken into account only to the extent that they led to a better life for the recipient. Moreover, he invited his audience to test his suggestions rather than accept them on faith.

Other abilities that have been attributed to Cayce include astral projection, prophesying, mediumship, viewing the Akashic Records or “Book of Life“, and seeing auras. Cayce said he became interested in learning more about these subjects after he was informed about the content of his readings, which he reported that he never actually heard himself.

The health readings are most numerous, and they involve many alternative health concepts and practices. Cayce described his work in terms of Christian service. People with esoteric interests have focused on a somewhat different set of topics.

Origin and destiny of humanity: “All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came.” [Reading 3744-5] The Cayce readings could be interpreted as saying that human souls were created with a consciousness of their oneness with God. Some “fell” from this state; others—led by the Jesus soul—volunteered to save them. The Earth, with all its limitations, was created as a suitable arena for spiritual growth. It could also be interpreted as saying that all beings are born and all will eventually die.

Reincarnation: Cayce’s work teaches the reality of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws. Its purpose is to teach us certain spiritual lessons. Animals have undifferentiated, “group” souls rather than individuality and consciousness. Humans have never been incarnated as animals. He describes a very complex design arranged between souls and God to “meet the needs of existing conditions”, which was a reference to the souls who became entrapped in the Earth’s physical materiality, which was not intended for a habitat of the soul. In There Is A River, a biography about Cayce by Thomas Sugrue, we are told by Sugrue that spirit “thought-forms” stayed near and guided the anthropoid ape which was chosen to be the most ideal vehicle for the human physical race to be created from, and psychically guided their separate evolution into a Homo sapiens species. This contradicts Cayce’s view. In reading (3744-5), Cayce states “Man DID NOT descend from the monkey, but man has evolved, resuscitation, you see, from time to time, time to time, here a little, there a little, line upon line and line and line upon line.” Cayce’s view arguably incorporates and parallels Theosophical teachings on spiritual evolution.

Astrology: Cayce accepts astrology on the basis that our souls spend time on other planets (or perhaps their spiritual counterparts) in between incarnations. The position of the planets at our birth records these influences.

Universal laws: Souls incarnated on the Earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap” (karma) or “As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged.” Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God’s mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, He has promised to guide us in our spiritual path. Cayce said that when you view it from the highest dimension, there is no time and no space, nor any future or past, and that it is all happening in one fascinating expression and that time is an illusion that has purpose.

Unknown Life of Jesus: Cayce presented narratives of Jesus’ previous incarnations, including a mysterious Atlantean figure called “Amilius” as well as the more familiar biblical figures of Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Joshua, Asaph, and Jeshua. Cayce describes Jesus as an Essene who traveled to India in his youth in order to study Eastern religions, more specifically astrology.

Jesus and Christ: Following New Thought precedent, Cayce distinguishes between Jesus and Christhood. Briefly, Jesus was a soul like us who reincarnated through many lifetimes. “Christhood” is something he was the first to allow to be “manifest” through his material life, and it is something which we also ought to aspire towards. Cayce accordingly calls Jesus our “elder brother” and frequently makes reference to the way of the “lowly Nazarene.”

Ideals: Cayce repeatedly stresses the choice of an ideal as the foundation of the spiritual path. “And O that all would realize… that what we are… is the result of what we have done about the ideals we have set” (1549-1). We may choose any ideal we feel drawn to. As we attempt to apply it in our lives, God will guide us further, perhaps inspiring us to revise our choice of ideal. The highest ideal, says Cayce, is Christ; however, the readings recognize “the Christ spirit” in some form as the basis for religions other than Christianity.

Body, Mind, Spirit: Cayce often invokes these three terms, or their equivalents, to describe the human condition. “Spirit is the life. Mind is the builder. Physical is the result.” (conflation of various readings). The concept has application not only to holistic health but also to the spiritual life.

Meditation: While Cayce sometimes described particular meditation techniques of sitting or chanting “Arrr–eee-oommm” the crucial element, he believed, is that of opening up to divine influences. The Search For God books say that “Through prayer we speak to God. In meditation, God speaks to us.” Cayce’s concept of meditation has some aspects in common with Hinduism or Buddhism (the chakras, kundalini) but is most similar to Christian versions of New Thought. The symbolism of the Book of Revelation, he says, is based on meditative experiences.

Extra-sensory perception: Cayce accepted psychic experiences and ESP as a natural by-product of soul growth. God may speak to us through dreams (many readings consist of dream interpretation), or through intuitions similar to the pangs of conscience. However, Cayce did not endorse Spiritualism or mediumship on the grounds that supposed entities thus contacted are not necessarily particularly lofty. Instead, he encouraged seekers to focus on Christ.

Atlantis: The Cayce readings spoke of the existence of Atlantis, a legendary continent with an advanced technology whose refugees peopled ancient Egypt as well as pre-Columbian America. Cayce’s description of Atlantis has much in common with that of Ignatius L. Donnelly. According to Cayce, Atlantean society was divided into two long-lived political factions—a “good” faction called the “Sons of the Law of One,” and an “evil” faction called the “Sons of Belial.” Many people alive today are the reincarnations of Atlantean souls, he believed, who must now face similar temptations as before. It is said Atlantis suffered three major destructions, one of which was the deluge. According to the readings, a major source of turmoil was the Sons of Belial’s desire to exploit the Things, sub-humans with animal appendages and low intelligence, and the movements to protect and evolve them by the Sons of the Law of One. The final destruction was the overcharging of the crystal which caused a massive explosion.

Egypt: Next to biblical times, the most significant era for the “life readings” was a pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization consisting of Atlantean refugees. Cayce purported to have been an Egyptian priest named “Ra Ta” who built a spiritually-based healing center (the “Temple of Sacrifice”) and educational institution (the “Temple Beautiful”). His diagnostic readings and narratives about the past and future were supposed to be a continuation of his ancient work. This civilization also built monuments on the Giza plateau, including the Great Pyramid, and left records of Atlantis in a “hall of records” located somewhere beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza. These readings bear a close resemblance to books by AMORC founder H. Spencer Lewis.

Earth Changes: Cayce coined the term Earth Changes (later widely used in New Age writings), a reference to a series of cataclysm events which he prophesied would take place in future decades — notably including the Earth shifting on its axis, and most of California dropping into the Pacific Ocean following a catastrophic earthquake.

“Cayce diet”: Major dietary recommendations include the avoidance of red meat, alcohol (except red wine), white bread, and fried foods; a preference for fruits and above-ground, leafy vegetables over starches; and a high ratio (80:20%) of alkaline foods over acidic. One meal per day should consist entirely of raw vegetables. Under strict circumstances, Cayce advocated both coffee and pure tobacco cigarettes to be non-harmful to health. “Food combining” was also a central idea in the Cayce diet. According to Cayce, several food combinations that are contraindicated are coffee with milk or sugar, citrus fruit with starchy foods, and high protein foods with starches. Cayce himself followed very few of the dietary recommendations that were suggested by the readings. According to Cayce, two or three almonds (see Amygdalin) a day keeps cancer away.

Dream interpretation: Cayce was one of the early dream interpreters who contradicted Freudian views by saying that dreams can be of many different kinds (including sexual) with many levels of meaning; that lack of interest is the reason for poor dream recall; that only the dreamer knows the meaning of his dream; and that a dream is correctly interpreted when it makes sense to the dreamer, when it checks out with his other dreams, and when it moves him forward in his life.

American mystic known as “The Sleeping Prophet.” While in a sleep state he could discuss history, geology, metaphysics, philosophy and medicine. He gave approximately 30,000 life-readings and medical diagnosis to people during his lifetime. He founded a hospital, a university and the A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightenment) in Virginia Beach, Virginia that promotes research on his readings and continues his work.

Edgar Cayce was born to uneducated farming parents. He attended country school only as far as the eighth grade. As a child he had a strong desire to become a preacher, which he never formally realized. He prayed to be able to help others, especially children, and had a spiritual vision in 1890, at age 13, that told him he would be able to accomplish this dream of service. A lady bathed in light told Cayce to sleep with his head on his books, and then he would be able to remember what was in them. This was at a time when he was having trouble in school, and his father was apparently beating him for not being able to spell the words in his lessons correctly. Soon after, he showed signs of special abilities when he found that he could sleep on his school books and have photographic recall of every page, and he seems to have continued using this

ability throughout his early life– such as when he got a job at an office supply and book store after having first been turned away, by demonstrating to the owners that he was more familiar with their catalog and inventory than they were.

On 3/16/1886 Cayce had his first vision. Two years later he was pronounced dead from drowning, but recovered. In 1900 he developed a severe case of laryngitis that doctors couldn’t cure. In desperation he tried hypnosis from a traveling practitioner and was cured after several treatments. Under hypnosis, he gave his first psychic reading on 3/31/1901 and learned that he could give accurate medical diagnoses and healing recommendations for himself and for other people. Requests for his readings increased by word-of-mouth.

Cayce married Gertrude Evans, his first serious girlfriend, after eight years of courtship on 6/17/1903. Their first child, son Hugh Lynn, was born on 3/16/1907 and his second son, Milton Porter, was born in 3/28/1911 and died 5/17/1911. Gertrude, weakened with grief, became ill with tuberculosis, and was cured by following the recommendations in her husband’s readings for her. Hugh Lynn’s eye was severely burned in an accident with photo flash powder in Cayce’s studio. Readings for him proved successful as well. On 2/08/1918 his third son, Edgar Evans, was born.

Two tragic fires plagued his photographic work; one occurred on 12/23/1906 and destroyed his studio and many paintings and works of art he had at the studio for a show and the other destroyed his new studio in September 1907.

By 1910, Cayce was receiving a great deal of publicity, particularly as a result of a New York Times article. He began giving readings in Hopkinsville as a “psychic diagnostician.” At the same time, he operated his own photographic studio to support his family. The work with the readings progressed to the point where a full-time secretary was needed to record and transcribe the readings. Gladys Davis was hired in 1923 to perform that function. The family, with Gladys, moved to Dayton, Ohio later that year and Cayce began giving readings on a full-time basis. He established the Cayce Psychic Institute and began to give his first life readings, citing information on past lives of the inquirers, and other metaphysical topics in addition to the health readings.

In 1924, Cayce met a wealthy New York stockbroker who agreed to fund his work. They planned a national organization that would be called the Association of National Investigators. The readings recommended that the organization be located in Virginia Beach where a hospital was to be built, so the family moved there. The dream of the hospital was realized with its opening in 1927. Atlantic University opened in 1930 to study the readings and provide a college education. Hard times hit when funding was withdrawn and the hospital closed in February 1931. The Association of National Investigators disbanded that same year. Cayce was distraught, but a group of loyal supporters urged him to for a new organization, called the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), in Virginia Beach.

Cayce, his wife Gertrude and secretary Gladys Davis were arrested on charges of fortune-telling during a visit to New York in 1931, but the charges were dismissed. Four years later, Cayce, his son Hugh Lynn, and his stenographer were arrested in Detroit for practicing medicine without a license as a result of giving a reading for a sick child. Edgar was convicted and freed on probation.

More publicity came in 1943 with the publication of the Cayce biography, “There is a River” by Thomas Sugrue, and a Coronet magazine article, “Miracle Man of Virginia Beach.” Heavy mail requests for readings deluged the A.R.E. Cayce struggled to keep up with the workload, giving many more readings than usual each day, against the advice of his own readings. His last reading of over 30,000 was given on 9/17/1944. He suffered a stroke and final illness and died on 1/03/1945 at 7:15 PM EWT in Virginia Beach. A few hours before dying, he roused from his sleep and said, “How much the world needs God today.” His wife, Gertrude, died three months later on Easter Sunday, 4/01/1945, at sunrise. His mother died 25/10/1926; father died 11/04/1937.

Throughout his life, Cayce claimed no special abilities and did not capitalize financially or otherwise on his gifts. The readings never offered a set of beliefs or “religion” to be embraced, but instead focused on the idea that every person should test in his or her own life the principles presented. Though Cayce was a devout Christian who read the Bible through once for every year of his life, his work emphasized the importance of comparative study of belief systems from around the world. In fact, some of the metaphysical material that came through the sleeping Cayce was at first confusing and distressing to him in his waking state. However, he overcame his doubts, as have others, by observing the amazing accuracy and unfailing helpfulness of the readings in other areas, such as healing. For some, the Christian language of the readings is at first an obstacle. Yet, the underlying principle of the readings is the oneness of all life, acceptance of all people, and a compassion and understanding for every major religion in the world.

The day of the month one is born on rules ages twenty-seven to fifty-four of one’s life. Since Edgar Cayce was born on the 18th of the month (March 18th, 1877), he had the number 18 going on from ages twenty-seven to fifty-four.